Max Verstappen's Daniel Ricciardo effect; Leclerc in crisis?

 Daniel Ricciardo’s Dutch Grand Prix hopes were dashed following a collision with Oscar Piastri, resulting in a fracture to his wrist. The incident occurred during a practice session at Zandvoort when both Australian drivers crashed on the same turn.

While driving for AlphaTauri, Ricciardo sustained a left-hand fracture as he veered into a tire wall to avoid colliding with Piastri’s McLaren. Piastri had spun into the barriers moments before, causing a yellow flag warning. Despite the caution, Ricciardo couldn’t evade the collision in time.

Both drivers managed to exit their cars after the accidents, although Ricciardo struggled due to his hand being on the steering wheel upon impact.

Following a hospital evaluation, it was confirmed that Ricciardo had fractured a metacarpal bone in his left hand.

Consequently, he will be unable to continue in the race, and his place will be taken by the team’s reserve driver, Liam Lawson, for the rest of the weekend.

This turn of events presents a significant opportunity for 21-year-old New Zealander Liam Lawson, who is set to debut in Formula One. Lawson, assigned to AlphaTauri’s reserve role, will now have a chance to showcase his skills in the absence of Ricciardo.

Piastri, who had taken over Ricciardo’s spot at McLaren, expressed gratitude that Ricciardo’s maneuver likely averted a more severe collision.

The incident left both cars needing removal by cranes, with Piastri’s car too damaged to continue.

As the practice session resumed, Lando Norris, Piastri’s teammate, emerged as the fastest, causing further frustration for Ricciardo, who had hoped for a strong start after the summer break.

The unfortunate crash brings attention to the precarious nature of Formula One racing, as drivers balance speed and control on challenging tracks.

"When I hit the wall, I didn’t have enough time to take my hands off the steering wheel, so the wheel came and hit my hand. It's really unfortunate and frustrating, but I’ll try to recover as quickly as I can.

"Obviously, I’d love to get back soon, but I also want to ensure we do things the right way, so I come back strong and competitive. I wish the team well, and I’m sorry for the change in plans again."

Ricciardo, who swore over the team radio and looked in pain as he climbed out of the car clutching his left wrist, wished Lawson a strong weekend.

The New Zealander has taken part in three free practice sessions to date, two for AlphaTauri and one for Red Bull, and has been racing in Japanese SuperFormula this year after finishing third in Formula Two last season.

Lawson will be the 10th Kiwi driver to start a grand prix and the first since Brendon Hartley with AlphaTauri's predecessor Toro Rosso in 2018.

"With Daniel recovering, we welcome Liam back to the team to drive his car, but this time in a much more competitive situation," said AlphaTauri's chief race engineer Jonathan Eddolls.

"It has all happened very quickly, but Liam has shown he is more than ready to step up to the challenge, and he has the whole team behind him."

Some look at the way Verstappen carries himself when he's not in the race car and believe he simply does not feel the pressure associated with being the star performer of motor racing's premier category. Some of the more rash outbursts of his younger career are gone and replaced, more often than not, with an unbreakable calm.

Asked if he believed Verstappen felt pressure, Horner said: "Of course, you'd be a robot not to, and you can see in his face.

"There were 100,000 Dutch men and women singing the Dutch national anthem. That's a big moment for any national driver. He's got the royal family here, coming to see him, but just before he steps in that car, he's got so much expectation. And you have to feel that. It must be a huge relief for him when he leaves the circuit tonight that he's ticked that box."

Red Bull is still on for an unbeaten season, something never achieved in F1 before. Teammate Sergio Perez won two of the first four races but has struggled in Verstappen's shadow since he was caught and passed by the Dutch driver for victory at the Miami Grand Prix in May.

Horner said Perez's struggles highlight just how high a level Verstappen has been performing at this year.

"Being his teammate is probably, in some respects, the most unenviable job to have because the barometer is so high," Horner said.

"Checo's pace actually in the race was strong again today. We saw drivers miss the cut completely [in qualifying], not even make Q3 when you were expecting them to. Yeah, it's very, very difficult. What we're witnessing at the moment is a driver who is generational.

"If you look at the previous races, in Bahrain he was, in the first race, already in a commanding position. He then had a driveshaft failure in Saudi in qualifying. His recovery through the field was pretty impressive there. So there's been... he's been in incredible form for about the past three years I think."

Verstappen can make the straight wins record his own in seven days, at the Italian Grand Prix on Sep. 3.